Rotary mining machine head and cutter carried thereby movable in elliptical paths



Nov. 16. 1954 D. P. GRAHAM ROTARY MINING MACHINE HEAD AND CUTTER CARRIED THEREBY MOVABLE IN ELLIPTICAL PATHS Filed May 24, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY N v. 16, 1954 o. P. GRAHAM 2,694,563

ROTARY MIN momma HEAD AND CUTTER CARRIED THERE uousu: IN ELLIPTICAL PATHS Filed May 24. 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 33 75 3 i 70 W//////////// 3.9 60 67 :57 f 43 J56 63 w 4 4 -4- 4 INVENTOR. flZ? Graham ATTORNEY Nov. 16, 1954 D. P. GRAHAM ROTARY MINING MACHINE HEAD AND CUTTER CARRIED 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 THEREBY MOVABLE IN ELLIPTICAL PATHS Filed May 24. 1950 mvsmox D. 1? Graham ATTORNEY ROTARY Nov. 16, 1954 D. P. GRAHAM MINING MACHINE HEAD AND CUTTER CARRIED THBREBY MOVABLE IN ELLIPTICAL PATHS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 24. 1950 INVENTOR.

Graham- ATTORNEY United States Patent ROTARY lNlINING MACHINE HEAD AND CUTTER THEREBY MOVABLE IN ELLIPTICAL T Dallas P. Graham, Columbus, Ohio Application May 24, 1950, Serial No. 163,911 12 Claims. (Cl. 26226) This invention relates to mining machines and more particularly to portable mining machines of the continu ous type which are employed, for example, in cutting coal seams to produce and remove from such seams loosened bodies of coal. In such machines, the loosened bodies of coal, following removal, are deposited on conveying means forming a part of the machine and conducted thereby to mine cars or other carriers for removal from a mine.

Machines of this type directly attack coal or other minerals present in a seam undergoing working, and are so constructed as to dispense with the need of explosives in loosening the coal from its natural bed or seam and reduce the same to a size enabling the loading thereof in mine cars. Prior mining machines for this purpose have employed power-driven rotatable cutter-carrying heads mounted to turn about horizontal axes in parallel order to the vertical working face of the seam being mined. As a result, the radii of such heads have been restricted to conform with the height or thickness of the coal seam.

In the mining of coal, it is common to provide working rooms or passages which are substantially rectangular in vertical cross section, having vertical side walls and a horizontal floor and roof. Rooms or passages which are substantially circular in transverse cross section, after the manner of a tunnel, are impracticable, since fioor laid tracks and other mechanical equipment are used in such rooms or passages, necessitating room width and height. These conditions are such that when continuous mining machines are provided with rotary cutting heads, a plurality of such heads arranged in transversely spaced horizontally disposed order are provided, with the cutting orbits of such heads arranged to overlap. Under these conditions, the width of a room or passage cut by the machine in the coal seam is wider than when a single head is used, but the circularly moving cutters, turning about horizontal axes, leave coal fillets or cusps in the roof, floor or side walls of the seam penetrated by the mining machine. To remove these fillets or cusps often requires slow and costly manually performed operations in enabling the room or passage to possess required dimensions and for equipment installation and manipulation.

The use of chain-mounted cutters has also been proposed for removing these formations in producing fiat, planar side, roof and bottom walls. Chain cutters, however, are objectionable in that they produce, as a result of their cutting action, a relatively large amount of line coal and dust. In addition, such chain cutters add mechanical complications to mining machines of this character.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a continuous mining and loading machine wherein the cutters of the movable heads, instead of moving in circular paths, as heretofore, are so mounted as to travel in elongated elliptic orbits of movement, whereby to increase the width of a room or passage cut by the machine in a coal seam over that produced by an equivalent number of circularly traveling cutters, to render the room or passage substantially more rectangular in its transverse configuration, and to reduce substantially the amount of manual work or machinery necessary in removing fillets or cusps in adapting the floor of theroom or passage for the laying of track and the handling of portable mining equipment.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for bodily raising and lowering and adjusting laterally the cutter heads of such a machine in adapting said heads to coal seams of varying thicknesses.

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In accordance with the present invention, a continuous mining and loading machine of the character indicated is provided wherein the machine includes a head revolved by internal power-driven gearing about a fixed framecarried axis, and wherein the head includes a shaft eccentrically disposed with respect to the axis of rotation of the head, the outer end of the shaft carrying for rotation in unison therewith a cutter-equipped spider member, planetary gearing being provided between the fixed axis of turning movement of said head and the shaft of said spider member, whereby to provide elliptic motion on the part of said spider member and the cutter elements carried thereby during rotation of said head.

Further, my improved mining machine involves a frame on the forward end of which the cutting heads are rotatably mounted for movement in elliptic paths and adapted for vertical adjustment, whereby to directly attack a coal seam and produce therefrom loosened and free bodies of coal which are deposited on an inclined apron carried by the front end of the machine frame, and wherein the upper surface of the apron at the opposite sides of a loading conveyor carried thereby with power-driven orbitally moving gathering arms traveling in elliptic paths and adapted for directing and depositing the loosened bodies of coal upon said conveyor.

Other objects of my invention are: to provide an essentially simple yet efficient machine for the purposes stated in which the elliptically traveling cutter heads of the machine are so formed as to produce but a minimum of coal dust or fines in the operation thereof, so that the coal mined by the machine will be characterized by the lumps or bodies of comparatively large size which the coal contains and its relative freedom from low value fine sizes; to produce a mining machine which in its operation at the working face of a mine, and in the confined rooms or passages in which the machine is required to function, maintains a working atmosphere devoid of the clouds of coal dust, which are characteristic of prior machines in their normal operation and to provide a continuous mining machine of simplified design which is capable of being readily controlled and efficiently operated by a small number of attendants.

For a further and more complete understanding of additional objects and advantages of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawings, which set forth in detail one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention.

In said drawings:

F g. 1 is a top plan view of a continuous mining and loading machine formed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the machine;

Fig. 3 [S a horizontal sectional view taken through one of the cutter heads of the machine and disclosing more part cularly the drive gearing provided therein; thFigh4 is a Vtg'lltil tralnsvelrse sectional view taken rou a cutter ea ont e ane indicated b H of g P y the line Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of the mining machine forming the present invention, disclosing its elliptically movable cutters, the material-receiving apron, and the gather ng arms mounted on said apron;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view disclosing the elliptic path of movement of one of said gathering arms;

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view disclosing the orbital paths of travel of the cutters provided on a pair of cutter heads formed in accordance with the present invention and wherein each head includes three cutters, two of which follow paths of travel overlapping those of similar cutters on an ad acent head, the figure illustrating the generally rectangular configuration of the room or passage formed in the material being mined by the machine of the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a similar view cutting pattern of a cutlgers',

ig. 9 is a similar view disclosin the attern duced by a single cutter. g p pro Referring to the drawings, and to the preferred specific embodiments of the invention herein selected for illustration and detailed description, the numeral 10 desdisclosing diagrammatically the single cutting head having a pair of through the use of endless power-driven traction belts 11, although it is within the scope of the invention to support the frame structure by other conventional means if it should be so desired.

At its front, the frame structure is formed to provide an inclined gathering apron 12 and in the center of this apron, there is located the forward end of a longiudinally extending centrally disposed material-conveying trough 13. In the trough, there is mounted a conveyor which has been shown as comprising a centrally situated endless chain 14 carrying laterally projecting and longitudinally spaced flights 15. By means of this conveyor,

rearwardly of the trough.

Preferably, at its end, the trough includes a laterally swinging discharge extension 16 for the purpose of providing flexibility in the position of discharge of the mined materials from the rear end of the machine. charge may be made in a manner so that the material will be deposited in mine cars, conveyors or the like, for transportation from the mine. Any suitable motor arrangement and associated power-transmission means may be provided for driving the traction belts I1 and the chain conveyor 14.

The present invention is concerned particularly with the front or cutting end of the machine. In this regard, use is made of a cutting mechanism M which, advantageously, may be formed to include a vertically disposed transversely extending base plate 17, the latter carmotors 19 to the base plate 17 at each side of the trough 13. The ends of the shaft sections 20 are equipped with universal joints shown at 21 in adapting the shafts to the vertical adjustment, hereinafter described, of the In obtaining such vertical adjustment on the part of said plate and cutting mechanism, pivoted sets of transversely spaced longitudinally extending lever arms 22 are utilized. These arms have their rear ends pivoted as at 23 in vertically registering order to the frame structure 10 and their front ends likewise pivotally connected as at 24 to ears 25 projecting from the rear face of the base plate 17. The arms 22 may be raised or lowered by means of the fluid-actuated jacks 26 which are pivotally connected at their lower ends to the frames 10 and at their upper ends to the arms 22. Any other equivalent means for raising and lowering the head cutters may, of course, be used.

The stationary base section 18 of each of the gear housings carries a fixed center spindle 27 which normally is disposed horizontally in a forwardly projecting posi- Revoluble about the fixed axis formed by each of these spindles is a rotatable head 28 which constitutes the movable section of the housing.

In the rotatable support of each of the heads 28, the relatively enlarged base end of each of the spindles 27 carries an antifriction thrust bearing 29 which includes an inner race member 30 arranged on and surrounding the spindle, an outer race member 31, and tapered intervening rollers 32, the outer race members 31 being secured to inwardly disposed annular faces formed on the hollow spindle hub 33 of each head 28. To further support the head for rotation on each of the spindles, intermediate antifriction bearings are used. Each of these intermediate bearings which are smaller in diameter than the first-named bearings as produced by the frustoconical section 35 of each spindle 27, includes an inner race 34 seated on the outer end of said frustoconical section and an outer race 36 between which races tapered rollers 37 are arranged.

The extreme outer end of each of the spindles 27 terminates in a cylindric extension 38 of reduced diameter which receives a plain roller-type antifriction bearing 39, the head rotating about the bearings 29, 34 and 39 in a 51, which mesh with annular internally arranged gear teeth 52 provided internally of the housing ring 40, whereby to elfect rotation of the composite housing heads stationary spindle 27 of each head. The outer end of each of the shafts 47 is reduced in diameter as at 53 and is arranged for rotation in bearings 54 carried by the stationary base sections 18, the earings 54 projecting through the inner open side of each chamber 50. Each an outer annular flange 55 oil-retaining and dust-excluding rings 56, the inner suryieldable composition, I of annular flanges 57 ich are formed with the inner sections 40 of said heads, the gear teeth 52 being formed on the inner surfaces of the flanges 57.

Each of the spindles 27 threaded tuclinahdisplacement. Beyond the threaded region 59, each sp ndle ll'lClLldBS a stationary cylindric section 61 on is a planetary gear 64, shown in mounted on a shaft 65 carried by the outer section 41 of each head housing. The teeth of the planetary gear mesh with those of a gear 66 which are formed upon the inner end gt afistubular hub 67 of a cutter-carrying spider mem- It will be seen that as the housing heads rotate about the long tudinal axes of their spindles 61, as a result of the drtvmgaction obtained by the shaft 47,

thereof which on the spindle The rotation of the planetary gear, while revolving around its own axis as provided by the positioned in a threaded opening formed longitudinally the body 76 of antifr iction thrust-receiving bearing. of this bearing is ture.

The hub structures 76 and 80 are united for rotation in unison by providing the hub structure 30 with a circular forwardly disposed flange 81, which carries in a rigid manner a plurality be equipped with binding nuts 84. Dust-excluding and oil- In this construction, the spider members and the cut retaining gaskets 85 are positioned between the flanges 81 ters carried thereby rotate about their centers in direcand 83 and surround the bolts 82. tlons opposite to the directions of rotation of the cranks Intermediately of its length, the tubular hub 67 which producing the elliptical motion. Also, the cutter heads carries and drives the spider member 68 1s surrounded by 5 are mounted on the transversely disposed vertical bed aplain roller-type antifriction bearing 86. Dust-excluding plate for adjustment laterally of the machine and with and oil-retaining rings 87 are arranged in an annular space respect to each other. 88 formed between the hub 80 and the hub region 89 of While I have set forth in detail a single preferred the cap plate 43. embodiment of a continuous mining and loading machine Antifriction bearings 90 of the needle type are shown embodying my present invention, it is not to be underas arranged between the inner end of the hub 67 and the stood that in so doing, I limit the invention to the precise shaft 69. Also, a thrust-receiving ball bearing 91 is arstructural details, combinations and part arrangements ranged around the inner end of the shaft 69 and is Conillustrated and described, since I reserve the right to emfined between a face 92 of the housing section 41 and the ploy all structural variations or modifications of my iminner end of the hub 67. proved machine falling clearly within the spirit and scope All these antifriction bearings provide for the free rotaof the following claims. tion of the revolving parts which they are required to I lai support and, also, to resist inwardly directed longitudinally 1. In a mining machine, a supporting frame, a cutting applied forces on such rotatable parts produ ed by h head mounted on said frame, said head including staengagemeflt 0f the cutting elements on the splder m m tionary and rotatable casing sections, a stud member car- 68 and the cone and drill parts 71 and 72. ried by said stationary section, a gear on said stud mem- Preferably, the spider member 68 is formed; as shown her, an idler planetary gear carried by the rotatable secdiagl'ammattcally in 7, to Include three l'adlatlhg arms tion of said head, the teeth of said last-named gear being 93 and the first two of these arms, namely t in mesh with those of the stud member gear, an armarm 92 and KY6 th Same length, havfi the P carrying shaft rotatably supported in the rotatable secof he Cutters 95 POSItIQhed thereon (115F056? at the tion of said head in parallel relation to said stud memsame distance from thG aX 1S 0f the gear and Its hDnOW be a driven gear provided on aid haft for rgtation Shaft Said axis l'evolvlhg about that of the Sun gear therewith, said driven gear having the teeth thereof dis- 63 pr vid d 9 the Stationary Spindle The Circular posed in meshing engagement with those of said idler Orbit 0f IOtHUOB 0f the Planetary 8 9 and 56 about gear, and cutting means arranged exteriorly of said head the axis of the gear 63 is indicated in Flg. 7 by the referand rotatable with d h ft erence character 96 In Fig. 7 the heads are indicated as 2, I a mining ma hine, a supporting frame, a cutting revolving in the h dlstitosed by W head mounted on said frame, said head including stain Fig- 8, t Cuttlng tool ES/ 5 arms are mdlcated, at tionary and rotatable casing sections, a stud member 92 and and a employed 1n lreu of the three cuttt g carried by said stationary section, a gear on said stud arms illustrat d 1n g- In 9, a smgle cuttmg arm member, an idler planetary gear carried by the rotatable has been shown. It will be understood that any number secfion f said head, the tefith f said iasvnamed gear of arms may be us d, u tWO thfee apparently Offer being in mesh with those of the stud member gear, an the best patterns. arm-carrying shaft rotatably supported in the rotatable Th 811 94 0f the p members 68, Pperatmg 40 section of said head in parallel relation to said stud memposition of the cutters 95 thereon, are shorter in length bet, a driven gflalprovided on Said shaft f rotation are arfanged more closely to the axes of the gears therewith, said driven gear having the teeth thereof dis- 66 than is true of the arms 92 and 93 and the cutters posed in meshing engagamem with those of said idler carried thereby. gear, and cutting means arranged exteriorly of said head AS a result of thls arrangement h Futters on the and rotatable with said shaft, said cutting means being arms 92 and 93 each describe an elliptic pattern, the movable through an elliptic path of orbita traveL patterns of the arms 92 being indicated at B and those of A cumin head mechani 0 the turns 93 at Whfla F P patterns of h Cutters comprising: a head casing incliic iin g a i' liiti fely gtiiiigifi carried by th arms 94 are mdlcated at H be ary base section and a rotatable housing section, a fixed served that the patterns B and C of the dual cutting heads an axial member projecting from Said base section and upon ovaflap 'f other centrally of the working face so that which said housing section is supported for rotation inthe material cut and lowered by the machine leaves aworktamal gear teeth formed with Said housing sectio, a

ing room which, broadly considered, is of sufficient width gear sugported by said base Section ing its teeth dlsposed m mesh with those of said internal and height to accommodate standard mining equipment, such as trackways and wheeled machines or devices movgear F Y to impart rotation to Said housing Section about said axial member, a sun gear provided stationarily able thereover. The fillets F and the cusps G may be l 111 Place Yeadlly removed by a manual operation on said axial member, an idler planetary gear rotatably carried by said housing section having teeth meshing if desired, in producing fiat bottom, roof and side walls in the room 2 P z i igggg g Coal Seam with those of said sun gear, a shaft rotatably supported by the ma h s 0 f g of the a'rms 92 93 and in said housing member in parallel relation to and at one The cu f e slots in the c0a1Of side of said axial member, a driven gear fixed to rotate 94 P er S1 grooves o with said shaft, said driven gear having the teeth thereof 1 between fluent depth so i g g gg iggzgg i ggk up into disposed in meshing engagement with those of said idler igglsiekggfgi e 5 g l ig g which drop upon the apron of gear, and a cutter-carrying arm member rotatably supt the machine and are loaded by the conveyor 14 and 15 ggf s i g x gr and of salt! Shaft y of d 4. A cutting head mechanism for mining machines as defined n claim 3 and wherein said arm member is provided with cutters movable in elliptic orbital paths.

into mine cars. It is of advantage in certain types of coal to use the center drill 72 and the break-down cone 71. In certain coal seams, however, these elements need not be used. 5 A cutting head mechanism for minin m h' e arallelo ram levers or arms 22 enable the work ng g ac as he d d s t the m chine to be adjusted vertically, adapting defined claim 3 a W the fiont 9 Sald arm the cutters o Seams varying in height The telescopic member is dlsposed in axial registry with said shaft and Shafts 20 furnish power to the revolving cutter heac'ls beyond said housing section the said arm member 18 provided with a combined break-out cone and drill rotatable 1n unison With said arm member.

6. In a mining machine, a supporting head, a stationfrom the relatively stationary frame of the machine n 75 all working positions of vertical ad ustment of sat heads.

0 of coal on the forward and ary stud member PIOJfiCtlIlg from said head, a powerof'ape ilzgclllitgecggslegglg iildicated at 14 and 15 the upper driven gear supported for rotation abopt the axis of said surface of the apron 12 has mounted thereon, as shown stud member, a stationary gear provided on said stud in Figs- 5 and especially a pair of rotating disks member, an idler gear rotatable with said power-driven Each of the latter carries a gatherin arm 98 which is gear, the teeth of satd idler gear being In constant mesh movab e i an elliptic path 99 the elliptic motion of the with those of the stzfationary stud member gear, a shaft arm 98 being produced by the same type of plapetary r tatably supported or movement around the ctcumfergearing as is employed in imparting similar mono to ence of said stationary gear and m UIllSOl'l with saidpowerthe spider members 68. B5 driven gear, a driving gear mounted to rotate with said t haft, said driving gear having the teeth thereof disposed engagement with those of said idler gear, a

7. In a mining machine, a supporting head, a stationary gear provided on said head, a power driven gear totatable about the axis of said stationary gear, an idler gear rotatable with said power-driven gear, the teeth of said idler gear being in constant mesh with those of the stationary gear, a shaft rotatably supported for movement ment with those of said idler ear, a member rotatably supported on the outer end said shaft, and cutting devices carried by said member in spaced radial relation circumference of said stationary gear.

In a mining machine, a supporting frame, a stationary gear provided on said frame, a power-driven head supported for rotation on said frame about the axis of said stationary gear,

said idler gear, and a materia'l engaging arm member rotatably supported on said shaft mounted and the structural movement of said shaft about the circumference of saidstationary gear.

9. In a mining and loading machine, a 'portable base, a pair of cutter heads, each of said heads'including stationary and rotatable sections, means for imparting roof said heads to sections concentrically revolve, each of said stud members, an idler each of said rotatable sections, said teeth in constant mesh gear rotatable with idler gear having said 'sun gear, a rotatable sections with those of shaft rotatably mounted in each of the of said heads in parallel relationship stud member, a driving gear on each of saidshafts having teeth in constant mesh with those of an associated supporting member carried by an said shafts exteriorly of said heads,

' a plurality of spaced kerf-cutting devices,

a stationary sun gear 011 gr with an associated the latter traveling in elliptical orbits, with the orbits cut-ting devices of one head overlapping those of the other.

it). A mining and loading machine 9, and vtfh'erein the radial arms of said heads carrying said Cllfllflg devices are relatively disposed to avoid enlglaggn-ient wrm arms and devices of the other of said ea s.

11. In a mining machine, a supporting frame, a statlonajry sprmdle carried by said frame and projecting su'bstantial'ly horizontally therefrom,

as defined in claim gear parallel radially yvith respect to said spindle, an arm rotatable quill, and a Working face-cuttin tool carried by arm and projecting forwardly there rom.

In a mm1ng machine;

with said said about said spindle means; shaft means rotatably carried 1n offset, spaced parallel relation to the axts 'of rotation of said head; cutting tool-carrying means References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

